First Beverage Group Announces New Scholarship Fund

First Beverage Group:

First Beverage Group, a financial services firm dedicated to the beverage industry, is pleased to announce the establishment of First Beverage Scholars, a scholarship fund developed to benefit students enrolled in the Beer Industry Operations program at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver).

MSU Denver is an accredited university located on the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver. The campus student union is housed in the historic Tivoli Building, the original site of Colorado’s oldest brewing company. Tivoli Brewing, which began a 45-year hiatus in 1969 after more than 100 years as one of the largest breweries in the state, reformed in 2012 and returned to its historic location this year. The company created a partnership with MSU Denver to build a new craft beer-oriented education program. Students at the University are able to earn degrees in brewing industry operations and brewpub operations or obtain a certificate in brewing science. MSU Denver’s goal is to create the preeminent beer industry education program in the U.S. by offering comprehensive courses in fermentation science, brewing quality, sales and marketing, distribution, and brewpub management.

“First Beverage Group is proud to play a small role in helping to foster the next generation of beverage industry operators,” said William Anderson, founder and CEO of First Beverage. “We believe strongly in MSU’s beverage education program and we are excited to see well-prepared graduates entering our field as a result of programs such as this one.”

“There’s no shortage of fun and personality in the craft beer business these days, but for us to continue to strive for 20 percent market share and beyond we’re going to need deeper business skills on a larger scale,” added David Duffy, one of the nation’s leading craft beer experts and a director of First Beverage. “This new program will turn out graduates who will immediately add value to growth-driven beverage companies of all shapes and sizes.”

Duffy, who is teaching the program’s first sales and marketing class, also sits on MSU Denver’s Beer Industry Leadership Council, which created the curriculum. He is joined on the council by beer industry leaders including Dave Thibodeau, MSU Denver alumnus and founder of Ska Brewing; Chris Black, owner of Denver’s Falling Rock Taphouse; Kevin DeLange, founder of Dry Dock Brewing; Corey Marshall, founder of the Tivoli Brewing Company; and Scott Kerkmans, owner of Beer Conscious Training and MSU Denver beer program coordinator, among others.

Applications for fall 2016 scholarships will be available in early 2016 in MSU Denver’s financial aid office. Full-time junior and senior students with a declared concentration in Brewery Operations are encouraged to apply.

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About MSU Denver

For 50 years Metropolitan State University of Denver has transformed the lives of students, served as a courageous leader in higher education and boldly advanced the well-being of metro Denver communities. Throughout its history, the University has been known as a gateway to opportunity through broad access, quality academics and education relevant to the Colorado economy. The yearlong MSU Denver anniversary celebration commemorates the creation in 1965 by the Colorado General Assembly of the state’s first urban higher education institution.